Of All Places
by beautifully-rational
Summary: Donna Noble is always finding the Doctor asleep in the funniest of places and/or the stupidest of times. Fluff - one shot.


Donna Noble always found the Doctor asleep in the funniest of places at the stupidest of times. Whenever she'd gone to bed she'd always end up leaving him in the console room, tinkering with something under the grating or some he'd found in his pockets. She didn't even know if the skinny alien had a room to sleep in, since he was always asleep in anywhere else but a bed.

The first time, he'd let her loose in Paris in the year 2500 and told her he had work to do in the TARDIS. She'd gone and shopped for the whole day, finding the fashions had barely changed and the Eiffel tower was a completely different colour. She'd bounded back into the TARDIS clutching nine or ten bags rather noisily.

"You wouldn't believe the bargains they had in this hat store!" Donna exclaimed loudly as she turned to shut the door behind her.

Usually she got a grunt of approval or a not-really-bothered, "Uh-huh, that's nice…" in response to her raving about shopping and the likes, but today she was only greeted by silence.

"Oh don't tell me you're hidin'!" Donna bellowed to the apparently empty console. "I have expense shoes and they're not exactly made of your alien steel…" She stopped yelling and blundering about when she found the skinny alien.

He was in the floor, under the grating, like he usually was when he was performing maintenance to the TARDIS manually. Usually he'd be tinkering with wires or pointing the sonic at them, but the wires were all left alone and the sonic was on the grating above him. She stifled the giggles she much wanted to express when she realized he was asleep. She was glad her springing and shouting hadn't woken him up.

It looked like he'd just simply dozed off in the middle of his inspection. He was leaning against one of the panels which held the wiring in place, with head lolling to one side from the awkward position he was in. He was more or less sitting with his hands in his lap and his legs outstretched – as much as they could be, at least. His eyes were closed, and the usual tension and creasing from his face was now all gone. He was completely still, the only thing moving having to be the rise and fall of his chest as he slept.

He looked so peaceful. Donna – who was kicking herself for not bringing a camera along – decided to leave him alone. It wasn't every day the Doctor got to nod off quietly for a while, since he was usually engulfed in one of three things; talking, tinkering and saving foreign worlds from destruction. She quietly moved into her room after that, putting the shopping away and then finding a blanket from the drawers next to her bed.

She'd moved back into the console room and thrown the blanket over him in an effort to show him she did actually care for him in some way or another. She picked up the sonic and put it on the console where she knew he'd find it, and then decided to read a couple of books to pass the time.

The second time, he'd taken her on a picnic on a beach planet out by the Earth sky-blue ocean. He'd mentioned the name once and then she'd dubbed that she was unable to pronounce it and resorted it calling it 'Sandy'.

Donna had just gone to test the water and left the Doctor on the picnic rug with a book in a language she'd ceased to recognise.

"Oi spaceman, it's really quite nice in the water. Perhaps you could like to come for a…" She trailed off to find him completely motionless on the picnic blanket.

At first she panicked – afraid he'd caught some alien disease and died alone on the beach – but then she realized with a smug smile he was asleep. He was lying on his stomach, the book poised out in front of him.

"Of all places…" She muttered, looking around at the endless stretch of beach and the TARDIS parked a couple of metres away.

He looked so adorable while he was sleeping. Especially since she'd managed to talk him into wearing board shorts in case she managed to drag him into the water against his will. Donna closed the book in front of him and then put it to one side.

She'd also had an immense amount of trouble fighting off the urge to bury him in the sand while he was asleep, but she decided he actually deserved a break here. Donna would happily lounge in the sun a while longer until he woke up.

The third time they'd been locked up in a dungeon surrounded by aliens she'd long since forgotten the name of. The Doctor had claimed the planet he'd landed them on was completely peaceful and he was friends with the people. Two seconds later they'd been tied up and taken to the gallows where the Doctor had mumbled under his breath, "Wrong century…"

They'd only been in here a day and Donna was finding it increasingly boring. The Doctor however quite enjoyed the fact they were in a wooden cage they could easily break out of if need be.

"Can't you sonic us out of here or something?" Donna turned around and asked the same question to the Doctor for the third time this morning.

Only to stifle giggles when she found him with his eyes closed, legs strewn out in front of him in a very obvious sleeping position. They were imprisoned by aliens and the Doctor found it an appropriate time to sleep.

It was only when an alien approached the cell minutes later and told them they were free to go – they'd been mistaken for enemy tribe members – did Donna protest.

"Can we stay in here?" She pleaded with the alien, gesturing to the sleeping form of the Doctor.

She eventually convinced them that the Doctor rarely ever slept, and this was one of those rare occasions that should be treasured. They'd agreed cooperatively eventually and left Donna and her skinny alien by themselves with the cell door unlocked, but closed.

Donna decided to not tell him that when he woke up.

The fourth time, she'd grown worried when he'd disappeared for hours in the TARDIS. She had been happy in her room, reading the magazine she'd got from the planet of coffee shops and when she'd finished, decided to go back down to the console room.

To her uttermost surprise the Doctor wasn't there. He wasn't underneath the grating, he wasn't in the jump seats around the outside and he wasn't circling the centre column intently, looking for something to do.

She'd gone and hollered around the TARDIS for him after that. After half an hour or so, she began to grow worried, her hollering becoming more distraught. It wasn't until the TARDIS led her to the kitchen did the worry finally subside.

It was replaced with amusement. The Doctor had seemed to be making himself some food when he'd run into a little bit of trouble. He was sitting – half sitting, actually – at the table in the centre of the room rather still. She'd approached him, fighting back giggles and gently poked his shoulder. When she got no response, her suspicions were confirmed.

On the counter on the right of the room there was a half made toast with marmalade, which was probably what the Doctor had been intending to make before he dozed off. Donna reliantly finished preparing it for him and set it on the table for when he woke up.

He was sitting rather awkwardly in the chair. His head was just touching his chest and his legs were sprawled out on front of him to keep himself from toppling forward. His arms hung loosely at his sides. He always looked adorable when he slept.

No matter the situation, no matter the location, Donna had decided the second cutest thing in the world was the Doctor asleep. The first? Oh… how you'd love to know.


End file.
